A Stacked Module House with a Perforated Facade

Designed by Fernando Velasco and Paola Morales, of Mexico City-based multi-disciplinary studio AS/D asociación de diseño, Casa Alta was built as a weekend house on a steep slope with majestic views of the valley. Situated on a 1,500 square meter plot of land, the structure is made up of 6m x 6m modules stacked on top of one another to make up three levels.

With a challenging lot to work with, they needed to build up to accommodate 108 square meters (1162 square feet) of living space with an additional roof deck to enjoy the views.

The exterior staircase that takes visitors from the outdoor platform to the entrance of the house is parallel to the land, the same as the interior stairs are.

Each layer of the house presents different views of the surroundings, whether it’s from the windows or the outdoor spaces.

A long rectangular pool sits lower on the property at its own level.

The facade was inspired by digital pointillism and actually depicts a digitalized image of a tree that can be seen from a distance. Up close, it looks like a random pattern of circles.

The house was designed as a vertical block with a stacked staircase connecting the floors. The lower level houses the kitchen and dining room, the middle or entry level has the living room, and the top level contains a bedroom and full bathroom.

The interior is kept fairly neutral as not to compete with the lush landscape that is framed with the floor-to-ceiling windows.